AQW 17282/17-22

Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 14/04/2021
Answered On Date: 04/05/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy for her assessment of whether a direct duty for the Utility Regulator to reduce carbon should be considered.

Answer:

Regulation is identified as a delivery priority in the Energy Strategy Options Consultation published at the end of March.

The consultation highlights that although the Utility Regulator has played an important role in supporting energy decarbonisation to date, energy regulation is going through a significant transition to adapt to new energy objectives and the scale of innovation required.

We therefore intend to work with the Utility Regulator to review the adequacy of its legislative remit in the context of the Energy Strategy

I look forward to receiving feedback from the consultation to help inform the future direction for energy policy and regulation in Northern Ireland.